e I have a cunning demon strategist by my side. If I could win his complete loyalty, he could certainly help me restore the nation....This is not correct.This clearly belongs to a kind and lawful huma...The advantage of the Lanchi tribe is clearly demonstrated here.

Lichtenstein Castle. {Updated chapters are the most complete and comprehensive, with error correction being the most timely. Due to caching reasons, it is recommended to browse the official website using a browser.}

The hands of the great clock in the cathedral just passed nine thirty.

This morning, everyone had returned to the mansion from the cliff and arrived at the library on the second floor.

Despite various magical searches, the ancient castle held no particularly hidden compartments, mechanisms requiring decryption. The detective had previously bypassed every location that could potentially serve as a clue.

But in the master's quarters and that library-like study, there might be some useful historical background information.

For example, this enigmatic era whose origins remain unclear, the relationship between vampires and humans, and the records pertaining to the Huning Empire.

Even if it doesn't help decipher this world of shadows.

This can be recorded and shared with the Southern Continent Film World Association for analysis by many researchers and learned societies, providing valuable insights into this important historical event.

Besides Ranch and Huberly, who remained together, the other challengers continued to group in threes, keeping a safe distance from each other.

Lanche strolled leisurely to the window and pulled open the crimson velvet curtains. The natural light illuminated the grain of the dark brown bookshelf, much clearer than it had been in the early morning.

Each ancient volume, with its faded gilt lettering on the covers, seemed to regain its luster in the light.

With the sunlight streaming in, the air in the library became fresher, mingling with the scent of books and candles. It felt as if you could hear the whispers of the books, telling tales of forgotten histories they held within their pages.

Since everyone agreed to investigate while waiting for Mr. Detective to return, let's see if there are any books about vampires.

Ranche stood by the window, bathed in the sunlight behind him, and addressed the crowd.

Although there is no longer a detective as the absolute leader, of the two most trustworthy people at present, the young master of the [Geographer's Association] seems unreliable. Only the detective's companion, [Lawyer] Mr., looks more stable.

It's this air of nonchalance that makes him seem instinctively dangerous.

He always wore a subtle, serene smile. Compared to the castle that reeked of malice, he seemed more like someone on vacation at a luxurious estate.

I have a suggestion, burn all these books.

Just then, a female voice rang out from behind. Everyone turned their heads to follow the sound, only to see that Cretia Empire noble girl, who hadn't spoken much until now, opened her mouth and spoke.

In this paladin's party, the noble maiden's female knight merely watched her, while the young cleric, sensing everyone's gaze, became even more timid.

Since the detective bypassed all the mechanisms to find the answer, then these original mechanisms are of little use to us. Destroying them all together might even cause the traitor to lose more crucial information.

The noble young lady of the Kreys Empire continued, her voice firm and resolute.

Everyone fell silent, and upon closer inspection, her words did make sense.

"But it's also possible that these books only contain information useful to the challenger, especially considering another mission objective. I think it would be better for us to quickly sift through the books related to the blood race together."

The high priest of the North Continent's Goddess of Fate spoke with hesitation, seemingly more in favor of Ranchi's decision.

After a moment of silence in the library.

Now it's simply a matter of whether to gamble or not.

If you gamble and destroy the book, you might also destroy information related to the betrayers' mission objectives.

"Personally, I'm very against book burning... but let's have a vote anyway."

Lanche acted like a peacemaker, shrugging his shoulders as if anything would do, as long as everyone could resolve the issue calmly.

Soon, all three clergy members from the Northern Continent expressed their opposition to burning the books. They placed particular importance on the information regarding ancient blood races.

And Huberlian, of course, unconditionally supports Lanchi and, like Lanchi, is in favor of preserving books.

Only three people in the Krasian Empire support burning books.

The young master of the Chamber of Commerce glanced around. He had initially considered doing something cool, like burning the books, but after some thought, he felt that Lance and the several clergymen's opinions were more stable. Thus, he also chose to keep the books. The bodyguard siblings didn't say anything, their meaning was closer to abstaining, or rather, what they voted for wouldn't affect the outcome anyway.

Ultimately, the conservative faction prevailed, and after the vote, everyone accepted the outcome without complaint. They began searching for books together, with groups of five or six people sticking close together as they moved between the shelves, never straying too far from each other's sight.

They often bent their heads over the pages, then lifted them to wander among the shelves. The rustling of turning pages, accompanied by the occasional murmur, made time fly.

Lanche remained silent, his fingertips gently tracing the spines of books, as if engaged in a silent conversation with their knowledge.

Opening a book, flipping page after page, his eyes focused and deep.

Hubley secretly watched Lance's expression.

She always felt that Lance seemed more certain about something after the previous vote, but she couldn't tell what game he was playing.

……

So the whole morning, everyone was searching for books in the library.

Every book suspected of being a key resource must go through the scrutiny of at least two different groups of challengers to ensure no one can mislead the information.

... until close to noon.

Someone, unknown, opened a book first. That caused everyone's [Task Goal 2: Uncover the secrets and dangers hidden within the ancient castle] to shift at once.

An annotation "【Collected a core piece of information, pending decryption】" was added.

Everyone looked at each other, discovering that the young master of the Chamber of Commerce was flipping through an ancient tome with demonic script embossed on its cover. He too stared back at everyone, looking just as confused as they were.

"...This surface... records an ancient sealing technique. By gathering the power of the sun, moon, and stars, one can produce a powerful and eternal sealing force. Similarly, to break this seal, it requires fresh blood from both lunar and stellar sources as an offering, and it must be done while avoiding the sun to reverse the inscription."

The chamber of commerce young master quickly flipped through the pages, reading the key content above with a perplexed expression to everyone present.

"This is a magic book, I can't understand the specific incantation content. Does anyone here know sealing arts"

His twin guards behind him remained silent, clearly assassins of some sort, with only a few spells at their disposal.

Nor should we mention sealing magic, a type of magic that even professional mages rarely master.

All eyes turned to the mage girl from the Creid Empire and the divine priestess from the Northern Continent.

Almost only these two people are most hopeful to understand.

I'm not skilled in sealing magic.

The priest shook his head sheepishly.

In today's times, priests proficient in sealing arts are actually quite rare.

And in the northern continents, sealing magic is even infamous because of what the Annihilation Bishop Askshan did—massacres of innocent civilians.

"I understand a little bit, show me."

The mage girl, leader of the Kreiss Empire team, nodded and walked up to the merchant's young master, taking the book from his hand.

But she quickly flipped through the book until she reached the last page, shaking her head in resignation.

This book was compiled using demonic scripture, or a form of magic script that hadn't yet fully evolved into the human language we know today.

The Imperial Mage Girl said.

Legend has it that the first humans were incapable of using magic until a demon bestowed magical powers upon them.

But excessive use of demon magic scripture will lead to human mutation, madness until becoming a monster. This doctrine can be proven even today.

Over a long period of evolution, ancient human mages gradually refined and created the earliest form of human magical script. This script allowed humans to use magic without incurring a significant cost.

And the magic script on this ancient book is still in a transitional stage between demon magic and human magic.

Not only can humans not read it, but even the demon race may not be able to understand it.

(The End)

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